Today’s Tidbit | April 7, 1636

John and his family arrived in Boston, MA in 1632. He was a part of John Winthrop’s Great Migration of Puritan settlers to America. They soon settled in Newtowne (Cambridge), MA. There, he purchased six acres of land and built a house. Governor Winthrop described it as “unsurpassed in elegance and comfort by any in the vicinity. It was a mansion of intelligence, refinement, religion, and hospitality, visited by the clergy of all denominations, and by the literati at home and abroad.” Gov. Winthrop designated him as Mr. Benjamin, the title Mister being rare in those days. There is a tradition that he brought a fine library from England.

John Benjamin is my 9th great grandfather. More about him and his family can be read here.

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One thought on “Today’s Tidbit | April 7, 1636”

Very nice tidbit, Dave.
On a personal note, my 9th great-grandfather (one of the 1000 plus of them) was of the same time period (not surprising, I suppose), Roger Conant, for a while, Gov of Mass Bay Colony and co-founder of Salem. I continue to be fascinated how these folks really come alive when you have these kinds of detail to latch onto.
Keep them coming. We all enjoy them, so much.